EL PASO, Texas – (KFOX14\/CBS4) \u2014 El Paso City Council is set to consider a new agreement today that could change how police handle some mental health and substance abuse crisis calls by giving officers an option other than taking certain people to jail.<\/p>\n
If approved, the proposal would create diversion center services that would allow El Paso police to take certain people in custody to a treatment-focused center rather than booking them into jail. <\/p>\n
The goal is to get people in crisis into treatment instead of jail when they qualify.<\/p>\n
RECOMMENDED: Ride along with El Paso County’s Crisis Intervention Team<\/a><\/p>\n According to agenda documents, the agreement would be between the city, the El Paso Police Department, the county district attorney\u2019s office, and Emergence Health Network, or EHN.<\/p>\n Documents show the diversion center would be open 24 hours, seven days a week and would accept both law enforcement drop-offs and walk-ins.<\/p>\n The center would offer crisis intervention, stabilization and referrals to other support services.<\/p>\n City documents also state the center could help get officers back on the street faster while connecting people with treatment.<\/p>\n EHN says its extended observation unit has helped more than 4,000 people in the past five years, with nearly half brought in by law enforcement.<\/p>\n EHN Chief Operating Officer Chrystal Davis previously spoke with us about another partnership between EHN and EPPD, the Crisis Intervention Team.<\/p>\n RELATED: El Paso police crisis intervention team responds to growing mental health 911 calls<\/a><\/p>\n That team responds to calls involving mental health concerns such as emotional distress, substance abuse episodes or suicidal thoughts.<\/p>\n \u201cOur partnership with law enforcement specifically El Paso police department is very strong,” said Davis.<\/p>\n She also said, \u201cOf the 3,809 interventions that we’ve had, 98% of those individuals have been diverted and not gone to jail or to the emergency room. So that’s highly successful and touted very highly from the state.\u201d<\/p>\n If approved, the agreement would run through November 2028, with an option to automatically renew for one additional year. <\/p>\n Council can either approve the agreement as presented or direct staff to come back with other options.<\/p>\n DRAFTED AGREEMENT:<\/p>\n RECOMMENDED: El Paso leaders review new DWI data, EPPD identifies hotspots across city<\/a><\/p>\n